Gov. Snyder claims that our members are flat-out lying about the impact of his education cuts. He calls your front-line stories about the effects of the $1 billion cuts, “Hogwash!”

We can’t let Snyder rewrite history. In 2011—his first year in office, he said, public school cuts will be “difficult,” but in 2014—an election year—he denies ever making those cuts. The truth has to come from you. You need to tell everyone you talk to what you’re seeing in your classrooms, your school buildings and around your district every day.

Want the truth about funding cuts? Ask educators!

Roughly four out of five Michigan educators have experienced funding cuts at their school in the past four years, according to an MEA member poll released today.

“If you want to know the truth about what’s really happening with education funding in our state, the people to ask are Michigan’s educators,” said MEA President Steven Cook. “Cuts to K-12 and higher education aren’t just campaign rhetoric – they are reality experienced every day by MEA members across the state.”

In response to the question, “Thinking about the last four years, have you witnessed funding cuts to your local school district and school?", 78 percent responded that they had witnessed cuts, with 11 percent saying they had not, and another 11 percent saying they were unsure. To learn more, you can read today’s news releaseor the full poll results.

“School employees – and the students and parents they serve – continue to feel the impacts of Gov. Snyder’s $1 billion funding cut to public education in 2011 and the compounding damage of not filling the hole since then,” Cook said. “MEA will continue to talk about the damage that’s been done to public education in the past four years and will continue to work hard through Election Day and beyond to ensure that Michigan and our public schools are put back on the right track – beginning with electing Mark Schauer on Nov. 4.”

Members see the results of education cuts in their classrooms every day

Gov. Snyder is denying he handed schools $1 billion in funding cuts. But the best proof that public education is suffering comes from MEA members across the state featured in the latest Democratic Governors Association ad, "My Classroom." Their response to Snyder's claim that he increased funding? "Not in my classroom" when they talk about their large classes or district layoffs.

This ad is a great companion to the new KidsNotCEOs video that shows how school cuts are forcing kids and parents to take drastic measures to pay for music, sports and arts programs in schools. The final proof of Snyder's cuts is at www.kidsnotceos.com which shows how much money every Michigan K-12 school district, college, and university has lost over the past four years.

It's time to change the script for Michigan schools. Support Mark Schauer for governor.

Check the facts-who' really standing up for Michigan students?

The fall issue of NEA Today featured a candidate comparison showing where MEA recommended candidates and their opponents stand on education in the state. There's a real difference between Mark Schauer and Gov. Snyder and Gary Peters and Terri Lynn Land when it comes to fighting for school funding, putting students before special interests, making sure higher education is affordable, and reversing damaging cuts to education.

In this election, there is a clear-cut difference between the candidates when it comes to education. Really, when you come down to it, there really is no comparison. The November 4 election isn't about politics-it's about preserving public education in Michigan.

Schauer goes 'home' for pre-debate pep rally on Oct. 11

Mark your calendars for Sat., Oct. 11, when Mark Schauer will be in his hometown of Howell for a "pep rally" before his first televised debate with Gov. Snyder. The rally will be at the Operating Engineers Local 324 Training Facility, 275 E. Highland Rd. in Howell Township. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the rally beginning at 7 p.m. Other MEA-recommended candidates will also be on hand.

Ken Brock, a long-time Schauer legislative aide and campaign volunteer, said, "Once Mark has a goal and a focus, he is dogged. He's one of those people who gets energy from talking to folks."

The crowd is expected to give Schauer, MEA's recommended candidate for governor, the "people energy" he needs for his match-up with Snyder the next day.

The face-off between the two gubernatorial candidates will take place on Oct. 12 before a live, studio audience of voters at Wayne State University in Detroit at 6 p.m. in a town-hall meeting format.

Vote absentee from home on your own schedule

If you're not going to be able to vote in person on Nov. 4, you can vote by absentee ballot. And now you have two ways to get an application for an absentee ballot.

And now there's a new online mobile service for requesting your absentee ballot this fall. You must use your smartphone or tablet to visit www.miabsentee.com. Fill out your information, including your reason for voting absentee. Then sign your name right on your smartphone or tablet, using your finger or a stylus, and your application will be sent directly to your local clerk for processing. It's the fastest, easiest way to securely submit your request for an absentee ballot.

The Michigan Voter Information Center can help you find the address of your local clerk and more. By just providing some basic information to match against the public voter registration records, the site will pull up what races will appear on your ballot, where your polling place is located, how to register to vote, and more. It will even provide you with a map to your local clerk's office if you'd like to drop off your absentee ballot application in person.

New 'Kids Not CEO's" video highlights Snyder school cuts

They're back! The Terrible Trio of corporate CEOs representing Big Oil, Big Banks and insurance companies are again starring in a new "Kids Not CEOs" video that shows how school cuts are forcing kids and parents to take drastic measures to pay for music, sports and arts program. This time, "Rick Snyder" also makes a cameo in the new video.

"As students and parents return to school this fall, they continue to feel the real numbers of Snyder's $1 billion in education cuts, finding themselves in overcrowded classrooms and paying more out of pocket for basic programs and supplies. That's because Snyder's school funding cuts aren't just a bunch of numbers; they're a story about his financial priorities. It's time for Michigan's governor to view our kids - not CEOs - as his top priority," said MEA President Steve Cook.

It doesn't have to be this way-not if we support Mark Schauer, MEA's recommended candidate for governor!

Koch brothers are no match for the Koch sisters and friends

MEA member Karen Koch shares the last name of the infamous Koch brothers who are using their vast wealth to "buy" the election of Republican candidates supporting their conservative agenda. But that's where the similarity ends. And that's why Karen is co-starring in in a new national advertising campaign sponsored by the AFL-CIO.

Karen is a business instructor at Mott Community College and she's featured in the ad with Joyce Koch, a retired New Jersey teacher. The two ladies aren't related. However, they do share opposition to the Koch brothers' unlimited spending that pushes an anti-democracy and anti-union agenda.

Karen and Joyce were chosen because they represent the middle class. In the ad, Karen says, "We're just two average women who've raised families and worked hard here all of our lives."

This is the first in a series of ads which will run nationally, but will also be seen in the Lansing area. The Koch brothers and their political arm, Americans for Prosperity, have spent more than $4 million here in Michigan attacking Gary Peters, MEA's recommended candidate for U.S. Senate. Last month, they also put big money behind ads encouraging MEA members to opt-out of the union.